#APPLE AIRPORT TIME CAPSULE 2TB ARCHIVE#
#APPLE AIRPORT TIME CAPSULE 2TB MAC#

Again you have to type in its MAC address, which is generally difficult to find. This is similar to the process required when you want to control the access of a client.

It would be much easier to be able to quickly add a connected client to this list. You can reserve IP addresses for connected clients (so that they have the same IP each time they are connected), but this process is very complicated and involves typing in the client's MAC address. For example, guest networking - a feature that allows for creating an isolated Wi-Fi network for guests - is available only on the 2.4GHz band but not on the 5GHz one. Unfortunately, it's very limited in terms of features and customization in either of those roles.Ī powerful but rigid dual-band Wi-Fi routerĪs a Wi-Fi router, the Time Capsule is fixed in what it can do, and it lacks certain customization options that are available in almost all other routers on the market - even those costing just half its price. That said, the device can work both as a Wi-Fi router and a NAS server simultaneously, and for the most part it works well. In addition, the Time Capsule also comes with internal storage that can be used to host Time Machine backup files or as a shared folder for connected devices. Nonetheless, the support for higher tiers always means faster speeds. In real-world use, the actual sustained Wi-Fi speeds fluctuate a great deal and are generally much lower than the cap speeds. Note that these are the ceiling speeds of the respective standards. For existing Wireless-N (802.11n) clients, the devices also supports the top tier of this standard to deliver up to 450Mbps data speeds. The fact that it uses a 3.5-inch model and not a 2.5-inch drive shows just how amazing the new design is: the device's chassis is just barely larger than the hard drive itself.Īs a high-end product, the new networking device supports the current top tier (three-stream) of the new 802.11ac standard, which is available only on the 5GHz band, to offer wireless data speeds of up to 1.3Gbps to 802.11ac-enabled clients. There's no way to open its casing to replace or service the internal drive on the inside, which, by the way, is a 3.5-inch standard hard drive. Similar to the previous generation, the new Time Capsule is completely closed in. And finally, I'm also a little surprised and disappointed that there's no support for AirPlay, which is available in the AirPort Express that came out last year.

#APPLE AIRPORT TIME CAPSULE 2TB ARCHIVE#

It can also be used to archive the content stored on the internal drive to an external one, for data safety. This port can be used to host a printer or an external storage device to supplement the Time Capsule's internal drive. By now you'd think Apple could use the support for USB 3.0 on its AirPort devices. What's also disappointing is the USB 2.0 port. It's kind of disappointing that the Time Capsule doesn't offer more LAN ports, since there seems to be enough space to add more. All of these ports are Gigabit compatible, offering up to 1,000Mbps data speeds. On the back, stacking up in a vertical array, there are the usual three LAN ports (to connect wired clients, such as a Mac Pro), and one WAN port (to connect to an Internet source, such as a broadband modem). Savvy and non-Mac users, however, will still find the new Time Capsule lacking, both in features and customization options, considering it costs $299 for 2TB (or $399 for 3TB). In this case, the new Time Capsule will be an excellent home network gateway since Time Machine backup and data-sharing will now be much faster via Wi-Fi. The rest remains unchanged, however, including the internal storage capacities, features, and even the network storage performance.įor existing Time Capsule owners, there isn't a compelling reason to upgrade, unless you have just bought the new MacBook Air, which is the first hardware client from Apple that supports 802.11ac. On top of that, it now supports the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, which offers very fast wireless data speeds when used with 802.11ac-enabled clients. In fact, other than the internal storage - which only the Time Capsule has - they are virtually the same.Ĭompared with the previous generation, the new Time Capsule is much more compact and noticeably better looking. For the first time since the introduction of Apple's AirPort networking devices, the two share the exact physical shape and size.

Apple airport time capsule 2tb